From Undesirable to Undeniable: Detailing the Fermin Lopez story at Barcelona
Fermin Lopez has turned out to be a diamond in the rough for Hansi Flick’s Barcelona in the 2025-26 season. In a campaign where the likes of Dani Olmo, Pedri and Raphinha have suffered from injury setbacks, it’s been the 22-year-old Spaniard who has taken his opportunities perfectly to establish himself as a crucial player at Barcelona.
It’s not always been easy for the Spanish midfielder, who has had to go through some trials and tribulations to succeed at Camp Nou. Fermin, who has 20 goal contributions for Barcelona in the 2025-26 season, probably didn’t imagine himself at such a stage when he was still coming through the youth ranks at the club.
Lopez’s early career & what sparked Barca transfer
Fermin started his football journey at the age of seven, playing for his local club El Campillo for a year from 2010-2011. He then moved to Spanish fourth division side Recreativo’s youth academy, before being poached by Real Betis’ youth academy in 2012. It was at Betis that the young Fermin really flourished, as he started learning the traits of being a dangerous attacking midfielder.
The Spaniard spent four years in the Betis youth academy, impressing at youth levels and catching the attention of major scouts with his goal-scoring heroics. It was in 2016 that Barcelona came calling and Fermin could not say no to the prospect of developing his skills at the acclaimed La Masia youth academy – which has shaped up iconic footballers like Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi in the past
Fermin joined La Masia at the age of 13, and immediately started impressing the youth coaches at the club. However, Lopez was made to build on his physicality and technical aspects by the stringent coaching in the academy.
The Linares loan move that shaped Fermin’s breakthrough
In fact, he only made three appearances for the Barcelona U19 and one appearance for Barca Atletic in his youth career. Fermin opened up earlier in the 2025-26 season about his difficulties settling in at La Masia, stating: “It was incredibly tough because I was so young. I don’t believe I was fully prepared to live so far from my family and friends, although everyone at La Masia treated me exceptionally well. They offered immense support, and it truly was a beautiful period.”
In 2022, Barcelona felt that Fermin (who was 19 at the time) needed a move to a lower-division club to get regular minutes at the senior level. As a result, they agreed to send him on loan to third-division side Linares, something that personally frightened Fermin.
Speaking about his move to Linares, Lopez had admitted: “I don’t know if going to Linares was a step backwards, but I genuinely believed the door to Barca had closed on me there; I thought my time was over.
“However, things went very well for me in Linares; I matured immensely as both a player and a person. Upon my return, I arrived in Barcelona with tremendous enthusiasm. I made the most of pre-season and managed to secure my place in the first team.”
Fermin did indeed have a prolific stint in his loan spell at Linares, excelling at the Primera Federacion as he scored 12 goals and provided four assists in 37 league games. Barcelona were understandably impressed by his heroics and recalled him back in 2023, with Xavi taking a liking to the Spaniard.
Fermin made his initial mark for Barcelona in the 2023 preseason tour, famously scoring and assisting in a 3-0 thrashing of Real Madrid in a friendly match in July. That sparked Xavi to keep the Spanish midfielder in his squad, thus giving Lopez the break he needed to start excelling for the Blaugrana.
How Lopez broke through at FC Barcelona
It was in the 2023-24 season that Fermin Lopez started climbing the ranks at Barcelona, having impressed in their pre-season campaign. Xavi, a world-class midfielder in his playing days, took little time to realize the potential that he saw in the young Spanish midfielder after his heroics in pre-season.
In a campaign where experienced and higher-rated players like Raphinha and an on-loan Joao Felix struggled for consistency, Fermin proved to be a special weapon for the Blaugrana.
The Spaniard made his official debut for Barca in their 4-3 win over Villarreal in the 2023-24 La Liga clash, coming on as a substitute for the last four matches. Fermin scored his first-ever La Liga goal for Barca in a 2-2 draw against Mallorca, a match where he came on as an impact substitute to prove his quality.
Lopez went on to score eight goals in the 2023-24 La Liga campaign, out of which three were as a substitute and five in matches he started. He had a really solid end to the season, scoring seven goals in the last 12 matches of the La Liga campaign and was one of Barca’s bright sparks of a season where they lost out on the league title to Real Madrid and went trophyless.
Lopez’s 11 goals across all competitions in the 2023-24 season made him Barca’s second-highest goalscorer in the campaign, behind only Robert Lewandowski (who scored 26).
Xavi actually received a lot of criticism from Barca fans for not giving Fermin more opportunities to start matches in the campaign, with the Spaniard even being used in positions like the left wing and as a no.8 – despite being at his best in the no.10 role.
The Flick Impact That Helped Unleash Fermin’s Ultimate Potential
Hansi Flick was appointed as the new Barcelona manager in the summer of 2024 after Xavi’s dismissal, and his arrival marked a turning point in Fermin’s career. Flick, a devoted researcher with an incredible eye for talent, decided to utilize Lopez on a more regular basis than Xavi did in the Spanish midfielder’s breakthrough campaign at Barcelona.
Flick eased Lopez into his system, with Fermin being used as an impact substitute for the majority of the first half of the 2024-25 campaign. Lopez would start 22 matches in his 46 appearances for the Blaugrana in Flick’s first season in charge, which is just two more than what he started in the previous campaign (20 matches).
However, the important thing is that Lopez started being utilized more often in his natural position under Flick. Indeed, the majority of his appearances in the 2024-25 campaign were in his favoured no.10 role, which had an impact on his goal influence as well.
Fermin scored eight goals and provided 9 assists in 46 games, a decent spike in his overall goal contributions from the previous season. Even though he needed some time to find his rhythm in Flick’s intense system, Lopez never looked back once he realized his best playing style in this particular system.
Lopez also started producing some immense performances in the 2024-25 season. He bagged two assists in Barca’s 4-1 thrashing of Bayern Munich in the league phase of the Champions League, before bagging two assists in the quarterfinals against Borussia Dortmund. His performances have obviously sky-rocketed in the ongoing campaign.
In the 2025/26 season, Fermin has already reached a career-best 20 goal contributions (10 goals, 10 assists) in only 24 matches for Barcelona. Who can forget his hat-trick in the Champions League against Olympiacos or his brilliant brace in the win over Slavia Prague recently?
Fermin was also at his clinical best in the Spanish Supercopa success for Barca, scoring and assisting twice in the 5-0 thrashing of Athletic Club and producing an assist in the 3-2 win over Real Madrid. In under three seasons with the Barcelona senior team, Lopez has already won La Liga, Copa del Rey and two Spanish Super Cup titles with the Blaugrana.
He’s also won the UEFA Euro title with Spain in 2024, as well as having an Olympic gold medal in his trophy cabinet thanks to his heroics in the 2024 Summer Games for Spain’s U23. At the age of 22, those achievements really stand out, but Fermin is clearly hungry for much more going forward.
What has been said about Fermin’s rise at Barcelona?
Fermin’s transformation from an impact substitute to an important starting player for Barcelona has earned him praise from all over. Flick, who has overseen the Spaniard’s growth at Barcelona under his system, seems to be delighted with how impactful the Spanish midfielder has become at the club.
Lopez was actually the point of transfer interest from Chelsea in the 2025 summer window, with the Premier League club reportedly lining up a €75m bid for the Spanish midfielder. However, Barcelona stayed firm in resisting any interest from the Premier League club and fortunately for them, Fermin wasn’t really eager to move to England either.
Flick has recently lauded Lopez with praises for his influence over Barcelona’s attacking style and for sticking with the club beyond the 2025 summer window, with the gaffer stating: “FermĆn’s runs behind the defense are incredible; I’ve never seen anything like it and I’ve probably never played against a better player in this respect.
“He’s a fantastic player. The decision was his, and I’m happy he stayed. He’s a player who lives and breathes Barcelona and has that Barcelona DNA. I really appreciated his performance today.
“He’s special. Not all players are like him. I like his attitude, his dynamism… he changes the course of a match with his movement, his passing… he also scores. He’s always in the right position. He’s a very good player for us.”
Fermin even earned high praise from Barcelona legend Pedro ahead of the 2025-26 season, with the winger saying: “Players like Fermin, who are constantly moving, are greatly underestimated. Those who move a lot usually get into the box and score goals.”
How has Fermin raised his valuation at Barcelona
Fermin Lopez has also witnessed a significant rise in his valuation during his roller-coaster of a career at Barcelona so far. Let’s track back to January 2023, when he was playing in the Spanish third division for Linares.
The valuation of Fermin at that period was a meagre €100,000, which is just a bit more than the €75,000-a-week that Lopez is rumoured to currently be receiving at Barca. Midway through his breakthrough season at Barcelona, Lopez’s valuation rose to €8m in January (2024), marking an 80-times increase to his valuation.
In January (2025), Fermin saw his valuation increased to €50m, which is why Chelsea had made a bid of around that amount in the 2025 summer window. Currently, Lopez’s valuation is deemed to be around €70m, making him the fifth-most valuable player in the Barcelona squad in the 2025-26 season.
Lopez is valued higher than Dani Olmo (€60m), who is basically his rival for that No.10 role in the Barcelona side. This stunning rise in Fermin’s valuation is proof of how hard he’s worked to climb the ranks at Barcelona over the last two years, going from an undesirable youth team player to one of the most efficient players in Hansi Flick’s squad this season.
Lopez’s injury history and personal life
To his credit, Fermin has actually proven to be a very dependable player in terms of his overall fitness since his breakthrough into the Barcelona squad. He went through the 2023-24 campaign without any injury set-backs, something that raised his importance within the squad as well.
In the 2024-25 season, Fermin ended up missing seven matches because of a thigh injury that kept him out of action for just over a month. When it comes to the ongoing 2025-26 campaign, the Spaniard has missed six matches because of slight hip and calf injuries – but he’s fortunate enough to avoid anything major that could keep him on the sidelined for a long period.
At a period when players like Dani Olmo and Gavi have struggled with injuries, having a readily available player like Fermin has made him a very important asset for Hansi Flick.
Fermin is a humble and grounded person off-the-pitch, and he’s also fortunate to have a supportive partner by his side in Berta Gallardo. The two started dating since early 2024 and were even spotted together for the first time after Spain’s success in Euro 2024.
Gallardo is a law student and also a model, and she seems to be deeply in love with the Barcelona midfielder – even having a tattoo of his name inked into her body to showcase her loyalty towards Fermin. Even though the two have not tied the knot yet, they’re definitely a happy couple who love discreetness in spending time with each other.
What does the future hold for Fermin Lopez?
The sky is the limit for 22-year-old Fermin, who definitely has his best years ahead of him. He still has a few attributes to improve about himself, possibly on his physicality and temperament during matches, but he will only get better as he gains more experience.
Lopez will be determined to maintain consistency with his goal contributions to become as important as the likes of Lamine Yamal or Raphinha in the team. His immediate goal would be to ensure that Barcelona can retain their La Liga title at the end of the 2025-26 season, and possibly also end their drought in the Champions League by winning the European crown in May (2026).
The 22-year-old is also a near lock-in for the Spain squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and will participate in his first-ever World Cup. If able to maintain such an amazing goal-scoring form, Fermin could even end up being a starter at the World Cup for La Roja. He will be determined to produce his most ruthless performances in the biggest international stage to ensure Spain win their second World Cup title in the USA.
Even though Lopez isn’t one for personal accolades, he will be pushing to have his heroics celebrated through coveted awards. He might not exactly be a Ballon d’Or contender (like Yamal) right now, but if Fermin continues his upwards trajectory and keeps contributing goals on a regular basis – perhaps something truly special is just around the corner for the energetic midfielder.
Source: barcablaugranes.com
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